Folding clothes drier



June 3, 1952 H. L. GRIFFIN FOLDING CLOTHES DRIER 2 SPEETS-Sl-IEET 1 Filed March l1, 1950 le 47 55465Q de INVENTOR B r I ATTORNEY June 3, 1952 H. l.. GRIFFIN FOLDING CLOTHES DRIER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 11, 1950 INVENTOR HRPY L GlP/FF//V BY [2Q:

ATTORNEY Patented June 3, 1952 FOLDING CLOTHES rDRIER,

Harry L. Griffin, New York, N. Y., assignor to Dry-Or-Shade, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 11, 1950, Serial No. 149,199

3 Claims.

This invention relates to combination sun shades and clothes driers.

Among the objects of the present invention it is aimed to provide an improved combination sun shade and clothes drier of the type illustrated in my co-pending application Ser. No. 130,044, filed November 29, 1949, and co-pending applications Ser. No. 758,962 filed July 3, 1947, Ser. No. 23,571 led April 27, 1948, and Ser. No. 86,517 filed April 9, 1949, all referred to in co-pending application Ser. No. 130,044, in which there is provided a plurality of arms for supporting not only the clothes lines, but also the sun shade or canopy, the present invention being characterized by the fact that any one of the arms may with facility be lowered partly or completely either in the interest of privacy should the combination be used in a public park, beach, or even the lawn of a home immediately adjoining the lawn of another home, or to intercept the sun rays particularly during the early morning or late afternoon.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a construction for supporting and manipulating one or more arms of a combination sun shade and clothes drier which is not only easy to operate and easy to assembly, but which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an extension particularly adapted for an arm of the improved type aforesaid, which is not only easy to operate and easy to assemble, but which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved means for securing the canopy or awning in place on the arms of the improved type aforesaid, which is not only easy to operate and easy to secure in place, but which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved combination sun shade and clothes drier having a plurality of arms forsupporting not only the clothes line sections, but also the sun shade or canopy, and a plurality of links operatively connected to the arms which may, with facility, be actuated to lower thev arms completely for storage or shipping purposes.

These and other features, capabilities, and advantages of Ythe present invention will appear from the subjoined detailed description of one specific embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. lisa front elevation partly in hsection 2 of a combination sun shade and clothes drier made according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental detail showing one of the arms partly lowered.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental section showing the connection between an arm and a supporting link in fully extended position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental section similar to Fig. 3 showing the connection released preparatory to lowering the arm, or preparatory to positioning the arm in the extended position shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective of the parts of the main supporting bracket for the arms and links of the combination.

Fig. 7 is a plan of the combination with the canopy removed.

Fig. 8` is a fragmental side elevation of the outer end of an arm with its associated extension shown in full lines in contracted position and shown in dash and dot lines in extended position.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a perspective of the spring shown in Fig. 3.

In the embodiment shown the main post I may be provided with any suitable tapered pin for securing the post I in the ground, as an instance the pin 2 having the shoulder 3 and the tapered end 4. The shoulder 3 in the present instance engages the lower free end of the post I and is interposed between the lower free end of the post I and the upper end of the tubular insert 5 secured in the ground by any suitable means,

such for instance as the cement block 6.

Ordinarily the post I, composed of tubular stock, requires no machining except merely to cut the same to the length required, nor does it require the formation of any holes therein for the mechanism to be attached to it now to be described.

If itis desired to have a table associated with the same, it is only necessary to provide an opening in the center of the table top I of the table 8, through which the post I passes. The table top in turn may be connected to and supported by four lengths of tubular or round stock 9, somewhat U-shaped as shown, which are connected to one another by two collars I0 and II through which the post I passes. When the ltable 8 is not associated with the post I, it will, of course, be supported by the legs 9 in the conventional way. In turn, the combination sun shade and `required lto determine the position ofthe links -38 relative 4to the arms 34 other than the manipu- Y .The arms 34 in outstretched position with or without the-clothes lines 41 may serve also to -support the canopy or awning 5.5 which. is lpreferably rectangular in outline with a depending apron 56, and provided with a central opening 51 to receive the upper end of the post I or the cap I2. Preferably, of course, the opening 51 of the canopy is reinforced by a grommet or the like.

At four equally spaced radially extending areas of the canopy 55 there are secured the brackets 58 provided with a wing nut 59. The brackets 58 are secured to the inner face of the canopy 55 by any suitable means, preferably by canvas patchesGIl,` see particularly Fig. 9. These brackets have -two lower protruding flanges 6I and 62 parallel to one another to receive the n 42 of an arm 34. |Ihe wing nut 59 in the present instance, see Fig. 9, is shown as extending through the ange 62 so that it may frictionally engage the fin 42 and anchor the canopy in position. In other words, the canopy may be loosely placed upon the arms 34 and if there should be no Wind, leave it so positioned. However, in order to guard against wind and the like, the brackets 58 and wing nuts 59 are provided to anchor the inner face of the canopy to the arms 34. As clearly appears from Fig. 8, the bracket 58 has an outer plate portion 63 which extends beyond the outer end of an arm 34 to clear the linger 64 of the extension 65 now to be described.

Each arm 34 is provided with an extension 65 shown in cross section in Fig. 9 as having a iin 66 extending upwardly therefrom, an enlargement 61 with slots 68 and 69 running parallel to the n 66 and conforming to receive the anges or ledges 44 and 45, respectively. From the enlargement 61 there depends the extended fin 10 provided with openings 1| and grommets 12 in such openings to receive clothes line sections 13. In the present instance the extension 65 has only two such openings 1| to receive only two clothes line sections 13. The iin 66 is provided with two recesses or notches 14 and 15 to receive the downwardly extending projection 16 of the linger 64. The nger 64 has an extension 11 extending beyond the outer end of an arm 34 as shown in Fig. 8 so that the samemay be depressed to actuate the nger 64 about its pivot pin 18 to raise the projection 16 out of a slot 14 or 15. When the projection 16 is disposed in the outermost recess 14 of the extension 65, the extension will be in the retracted position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and in full lines in Fig. 8. In turn, when the projection 16 rests in the innermost recess 15 of the extension 65, the extension will be disposed in the outermost or extended position indicated in dash and dot lines in Fig. 8.

'Ihe pin 18 on which the finger 64 is pivotally mounted, see Fig. 9, extends through the side walls 32 and 33 of the arm 34. Obviously. if the extension 11 of the finger 64 is depressed after the projection 16 clears the recess 15, the extension 65 may be entirely removed from slidable arrangement with the arm 34.

When the extension 65 is in the retracted position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, then the slack in the clothes line sections 13 may be taken up by looping portions thereof over the horns or projections 24 of the bracket I3, as shown in Fig. 7.

When in turn it is desired to remove one or more of thev extensions 65 into .the extended position, it-is only necessary first to free thefclothes line sections 13 from the horns 24, then to actuate the finger or fingers 64 and slide the selectedextension or extensions 65 out Ainto the position wheretheir respective ngers 64A will cooperate with the slots 15. If there is still some slack in the clothes line sections 13 whenone or more extensions 65 have been extended, then of course it is only necessary to take ,each such clothes-line section and draw it over a horn or projection 24.

The canopy 55 may eithervbe mounted on the arms 34 when the extensions 65 are retracted as shown inFig. 1or still remain connected to such arms when one or more extensions 65` are actuated into an extended position. In other words, if it is only desired to hang a few clothing items on the clothes line sections it is not necessary to free the canopy from the arms, butmerely to extend one or more of the extensions 65 so that its clothes line sections are exposed to the sun light. Of course, obviously if the clothes items to be driedy are sensitive to sun light, then it is unnecessary'either' to actuate the extensions 65 or to disturb the canopy 55, but merely to hang the clothes items on the clothes line sections covered by the canopy.

In turn, if the combination is to be used exclusively for drying clothes, the canopy 55 may be entirely or partly rolled up and fastened as disclosed in my co-pending application for patent Ser. No. 23,571, led April 27, 1948.

On the other hand. it may be desirable to expose only a part of the items to be dried to sun light in which case only part of the canopy need be disconnected from an arm or arms 34 and rolled up toward the post I, as shown in the latter co-pending application for patent, Ser. No. 23,571.

It is obvious that various changes and modications may be made to the details of construction without departing from the general spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The supporting means for a combination sun shade and clothes drier including a post and a collar mounted thereon for supporting a sun shade and clothes line sections--the supporting means characterized by a plurality of plates vertically adjustable on the post, each plate having a pair of wings extending outwardly therefrom and an intervening web hugging the post, the wings extending radially from the center of the post, there being notches formed in the wings to form upwardly extending projections to receive portions of the clothes line sections to take up the slack therein, a plurality of sets of arms and links foldable down along the post, each set including one arm and one link disposed between the adjacent wings of two adjacent plates, sets of pivot pins, each set including one pin pivotally connecting the inner end of an arm between one set of said adjacent wings at the upper end of said wings and the other pin pivotally connecting the inner end of a link associated with said latter arm between said adjacent wings at the lower end of said wings whereby said arm and link are held at a. xed distance from one another for all positions thereof, and means releasably anchoring the outer end of the link of each set to its associated arm whereby folding is effected, said collar positioning said plates at predetermined altitudes on said post. 

